Ophthalmic mounting



Sept. 27, 1932. N/M. BAKER OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING Filed Oct. 3, 1929 3140014 501, /YEA6 ON /7. 5 7556- Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

NELSON M. BAKER, F SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN OPTI- GAL COMPANY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A VOLUNTARY.ASSOGIATIQN.

OF MASSACHUSETTS OPHTHALMIC MOUNTI G Application filed October 3, 1929. Serial No. v397,054.

This invention relates to improvements in ophthalmic mountings and has particular der less conspicuous the lens securing means and at the same time position all the lens supporting the said securing means out of the useful field of vision of the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a construction in which the individual taste of the wearer maybe readily'catered to without the necessity of the dealer'carrye ing large and expensive stocks.

Another object'of the invention is to provide alternative constructions embodying the basic improvements in order that'the invention may be applied to a wide variety of oph-' thalmic mountings.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details ofconstruction, arrangement of parts andsteps in the process without departing from the spirit of the'invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do notwish to be limited to the exact details shown and described as the preferred forms only have been shown by way of illustration.

Referring to the drawing: Fig. I is a front view'of an ophthalmic mounting embodying the invention.

Fig. II is a top orplan View of the mounting shown inFig. I. V r Fig. III is a fragmentary perspective View of the bridge r t o the ieunting showa in Fig. I. I 7

Fig.- IV is a fragmentary section taken on line IVIV of Fig. II.

Fig. V is a perspective View of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. VI is a perspective view of a further modification. r

Fig. VII is a fragmentary perspective view of the mounting shown in Fig. VI showing the method of construction. r

In the past is hasbeen usual to ignore the relative association of V the parts forming an ophthalmic mounting and the tendency has been to. improve each individual part .without reference to the whole. This practice has caused much of the innate attractiveness and original strength of these mountings to be destroyed and it is now the exception rather than the rule to find a construction at once pleasing tothe eye and of durable construction Itis the prime object of my invention, therefore, to improve the individual parts of the mounting by separating some and uniting others and also changing their construction, and to accomplish these changes while keeping in view the durability and assembled form of the mounting as a'whole rather than as an assembly of unrelated features. 7 w r Referring to the drawing wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, I have shown in Fig. I one embodiment of my im-j proved mounting with the parts coordinated and forming a compact and durable construc tion. In forming this improved type I first shape thelens rims 1 of preferably a metallic material suitably grooved for the reception of thelenses 11 and having the split ends 2 positioned at the nasal side as shown in'Fig. I. I next shape my bridge member 3 toany desired contour, such as illustrated in Fig. I with the depending portions 4 conforming closely to the neighboring portion of the lens rims 1. In order to render the temple connection 5 less unsightly and large, I do not use this, as in. the prior art, for joining the lens rims together, but employ a separate endpiece 6 which I attach at the junction of the split ends 2 of the lens rims 1 so that it is entirely invisible when the mounting is viewed from the front or usual observation point.

The endpiece 6 is preferably formed of an outer tubular portion 7 Fig. IV, and an inner tubular portion 8, the outside of which fits slidingly into the bore of the outer tubular portion 7 and the bore of which inner tube 8 threadedly engages thescrew member 9. The inner tube 8 is preferably formed slightly shorter in length than the outer tubular portion 7, as shown by the space 10 in Fig. IV. V

I propose to attach the bridge 3 to the lens rims 1 and the endpieceG to :both the lens Y rims 1 and bridge 3. These are attachedadjacent thesplit ends 2 of the'lens rims and it necessarily follows that the bridge memher 3 and endpiece 6 must also be split in order to insert and remove the lenses 11 to be fitted therein. It also follows that the size of the lens rims 1 should not be changed as would occur if metalrwere removed by cutting through'them after they had been joined together in attaching the bridge and endpiece members and. also that the inner tubular member 8 should not be split in this cutting through, process. In order to accomplish the desired result without the foregoing for uniting the assembly from combining therewith due to'the oxide which forms on the surface or surfaces at the time of heating. Having placed the bridge member 3 in position between the lens rims 1 as shown in Fig. I, I next place the outer tubular member 7 only, without the inner member 8 or screw 9, abutting both the bridge 3 and lensrim 1.

I next proceed to unite the assembled portions, preferably by soldering, and then remove the stripinsert by cutting, referably with a saw, through the bridge an endpiece at the point 2. The cutting-through is preferably done at anangle substantially normal to the-rim at the point of junction in order that the inner tubular member 8 will align with the hole in the outer tube? should the lens 11 be slightly larger than the grooved interior 22 of the lens rim 1, as is often the case. The sawing process will leave a split 12in the bridge member 3 and a split 13 in the endpiece 6, as clearly shown in Fig. III.

I now have a pair of lens rims 1 with a bridge member 3 between them and an endpiece 6 on each nasal side, all of which have a sawcut portion thereon. I next insert my inner tubular member 8 in the lower split portion of the outer tube 7 and attach it therein preferably by soldering.

The upper split portion of the outer tube 7 will be perfectly aligned with the inner tube 8-and fit thereover. The screw member 9 is next fitted into place and serves to draw the split ends of the assembly together and retain them in position, the head 14 of the said screw being large enough to bear evenly on the outer tubular member 7 and draw the inner tube 8 slidingly into the upper split portion of the outer tube 7 leaving a small space 10 at the top. V I next attach my guards lawhich may be of the adjustable pattern permitted by the flexibility of the arms 15 which can be brought together or separated for various facial re quirements. The temple connections 5 are next preferably placed out of the line of vision, as shown in Fig. I, and formed to bring the-temples 16 sloping downwards into line with the wearers ears. This feature is preferably carried out by inclining the temple pivot 17 at an angle to the plane of the lenses. Having loosened the screw member 9 the lens rims 1 maybe separated sufiiciently to insert a pair of lenses 11 of the required power and outline shape. It will be apparent that the lens rims 1 maybe of the shape shown in Fig. I where the portions adjacent the temple connections 5 are bulged outwardly, or any desired shape. In the preferred embodiment the outward bulge serves to bring the temple pivot 17 substantially opposite the extreme temporal end of the lens rims 1 at the horizontal meridian and makes the appearance of the frame much more attractive than if merely circular rims were used and also gives a wider space between the temples.

' It will be apparent from the construction described that many improved features have been'incorporated, particularly in providing a novel, inconspicuous lens holding means which has a positive means of alignment embodied therewith made possible by the process of forming the same. wishes of the wearer may be easily satisfied by the prescription dealer in the matter of bridge and rim designs by means of the ease of assembly of the type described and by meansof the following modifications which serve to show the'universal application of the invention.

In Fig. V the lens rims 1 and endpieces 6 are split, but the bridge member 3is left intact as-the depending portion 4 of the bridge in The individual 1 3 is attached to the rims 1 at a point below the lens rims 1 only. It will be apparent that any style of bridge 3 may be quickly attached to the rims 1 and the lens rims l and endpiece 6 may be supplied as a separate unit by the large manufacturers for this purpose. The assembly of the modified form shown in Fig. V is similar in other respects to that previously described for Fig. I.

In Fig. VI a further modification is shown wherein I apply the invention to a pair of non-metal lens rims 18, such as shell or Zylonite, which have the usual integral temple connections 25 and pivoted temples 26. In this connection I propose to form my bridge of metal and so form a pleasing combination of these difierent materials. It has been evident, in the past, however, that when this combination has been attempted that the usual procedure of enlarging the solid shell lens rim by heat to insert the lens has resulted in the bridge becoming loosened and falling ofi or else distorting the rim badly.

To overcome this disadvantage I treat my non-metal rims as in the previously described metal type by splitting them. I first form my bridge 19 of any desired shape and leave the projections 20 at each side. These projections '20 are preferably four in number, two to a side, and are riveted over in the related holes 21 which I form in the lens rim 18.

I next attach by soldering orother suitable method the outer tubular member 7 to the bridge 19 only, as shown in Fig. VII, and split both bridge and tube as previously described. The inner tube 8 is next fixedly attached in the lower split portion of the outer tube 7 and the screw member 9 used to draw the two halves together, asin the first type. The guards 23 may next be attached by solderin or other suitable method to the depending end portions 24' of the bridge member 19 and the lenses 27 inserted by loosening lie bridge member extending between the rims, a projecting portion on the bridge extending into the lens rims, a securing member abutting the bridge, said bridge and securing member being splitadjacent the split on the lens rims and means in said securing member to secure the split portions together.

2. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of split lens rims, a bridge member extending between the rims, a projecting portion on the brige extending into the lens rims, a securing member abutting the bridge, said bridge and securing member being split adj acent the split on the lens rims, and means in said securing member to secure the split portions together, the ends of said bridge being extended into a guard armterminating in a nose pad.

3. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of split lens rims, a bridge member ex tending between the rims, projecting portions of the bridge extending into the lens rims, a securing member abutting the bridge, said bridge and securing member belng split ad acent the split on the lens rlms, and means in saidsecuring member to secure the split portions together. I

L An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of split lens rims, a bridge member ex-', tending between the rims, said bridge member having securing ends abutting the rims and secured thereto, a securing member abut-- ting the bridge, said'bridge and securing member being split adjacent the split of the rims, and means in'said securing member to secure the split portions together.

. NELSON BAKER.

the screw 9 in the usual way to separate the endpieces 6.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that a novel construction has been provided for ophthalmic mountings both of the metal and non-metal types, and that the objects of the invention have been accomplished in a simple and economical manner, particularly in the provision of a mounting which will be perfectly aligned and yet easily separable and when locked in position will be rigid and secure. It will also be apparent that the appearance and cosmetic value of the mounting will be greately enhanced by the construction devised and that the various parts have been so constructed and arranged in themselves that they form one harmonious whole.

I-Ia-ving described my invention, I claim:

1. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of split non-metallic lens rims, a metal- 

